President Trump and Colombia's president have turned up the volume of their exchange, heightening strains between the two countries following US forces targeted Venezuela with the aim of deposing Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He runs narcotics facilities and processing labs and that won't last much longer," Trump added.
Rising Threats and Accusations
Speaking to the press over the weekend, Trump hinted at analogous armed intervention against Colombia, stating the nation is “very sick too” and led by a problematic figure who likes making the drug and trafficking it to America."
Although Colombia is the leading source of the narcotic, there is no evidence implicating Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is personally connected to the business.
A Frayed Relationship
This nation has long been a close partner of Washington in the campaign combating drug cartels and received bipartisan support from American politicians, yet ties have deteriorated dramatically following Trump was elected.
Colombia’s drug trade is mainly overseen by guerrilla factions such as one major cartel, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and dissident factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), most of its former fighters demobilised following a 2016 peace deal.
The President's Firm Rebuttal
When asked whether armed intervention like that in Venezuela was on the cards for Colombia, Trump said: "I like the sound of that to me."
The Colombian leader, an ex-guerrilla fighter who left armed struggle decades ago, categorically refuted Trump's claims. "I am not illegitimate nor am I a drug trafficker," he declared.
"He comments uninformed. Cease defaming me," he posted online.
"If they [the US] bomb rural communities, they will become thousands of guerrillas across the countryside. And should they arrest the nation's leader, which a significant portion of Colombians admires and supports, they will unleash the fierce spirit of the nation," the president cautioned.
From Guerrilla to Leader
Petro spent a period in his early life as a member with the radical M-19 guerrilla group although reports indicate that he never participated in combat. Upon leaving the group, he took part in creating the constitutional rewrite in 1991 subsequently becoming a prominent senator. He served as mayor of Bogotá before being elected the nation's highest office.
"I made a vow to never again hold a weapon again ... but for Colombia I shall resume the fight," he said.
Increased Security along with Broad Opposition
Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that Petro's protection team had received additional support.
A segment of Colombia’s right wing opposition have sided with Trump's stance, but voices spanning the ideological divide have denounced the possibility of an invasion against their nation.
Political and Financial Sanctions
The US revoked Petro’s visa after he called on American soldiers to disobey orders that violate law. Months later, the US enacted asset freezes targeting Petro, the first lady and a number of associates.
At the same time the US was building up its military presence in the region and targeting suspected drug boats to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets have also conducted strikes against vessels in the eastern Pacific region near Colombia.
